The performances of persons who are destitute of the grace of God, are called the Works of the Law; whereas it is not so properly, for they are ignorant of the Law, nor does the Law call for any such Works; therefore they are but the Works of the flesh, and those who feed on them are eating dust, whether they are in a profession or not. Hence God threaten his enemies that he will send them the _Poison of Serpents of the dust_. Deut xxxii. And when he takes a sinner in hand, he is said to _scrape her dust from her_.—Ezek. xxvi; then he kindly invites, _Come now_, _let us reason together_—and, graciously promises, _though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as wool_, _and though they be red like crimson they shall be whiter than snow_; _and I will surely purge away thy dross_, _and take away thy tin_. Isaiah i. This is the Work of God and this must be done if ever we see the face of God with joy; we must be stripped of all supposed goodness, and emptied of self before we can be filled with the Saviour.
When the excellent Toplady had finished his Sermon on Justification, pious Lady Huntingdon said to him, “Sir, I think you gave the Pharisees a good dressing to night.” “Oh, Madam,” said he, “I did not want to dress them, but I aimed to undress them:”—and sure I am that our filthy garments of self-righteousness must be taken away, before we can enjoy the change of raiment. _Zech._ iii. Till this is the case with us we may cry out, with the tongue (and if not, every Pharisee exclaims, practically) _Stand by thyself_. _I am holier than thou_! But, from all such blindness, hardness of heart, and contempt of God’s Word and Commandment, Good Lord deliver us.
The food of the hypocrite, which the Swine did eat, these are called husks. Hence our dear Lord, by a Parable, represented his own people in a backsliding state, trying to fill their souls with husks, a form of godliness without the power, the sound without the substance, the shell without the kernel. So it is written in Luke xv. _And there arose a mighty famine in the land_, _and he began to be in want_, _and he joined himself to a citizen of that country_, _and he sent him out to feed Swine_, _and he fain would have filled his belly with the husks that the Swine did eat_. Here is an awakened soul, with spiritual life, guilt, and shame in his conscience, flying to a false refuge to make up what had been amiss; and obeying the orders of a false teacher, without looking to Jesus as his only refuge.